Department for Transport

A15: Dual Carriageways

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ask the Highways Agency to undertake an assessment of the benefits of upgrading all or part of the A15 between Lincoln and the M180 motorway to a dual carriageway; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The section of the A15 referred to is a local road and, as such, is the responsibility of Lincolnshire County Council and North Lincolnshire Council, as Local Highway Authorities. The route is not part of the Strategic Road Network, which is managed by Highways England, formerly the Highways Agency. It is for Local Highway Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to consider the benefit of improvement works on their roads, and to source funding to carry out these works, if they see fit. I understand that the two Local Highway Authorities, with the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, have considered potential benefits of improvement works on the A15. My rt hon Friend may wish to contact them to find out more about their work on this. It would be for the Local Highway Authority to develop and propose any improvements and, if necessary, seek funding from central Government. In addition, the Department for Transport plans to consult later this year on establishing a Major Road Network, which would include the most important local ‘A’ roads. A share of the National Roads Fund, funded from 2020 by Vehicle Excise Duty, will be set aside to fund improvements on the Network.

Home Office

Radicalism

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many calls or other communications the police in England and Wales received from the public about extreme views or behaviour.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were identified by Safer Neighbourhood teams in each police area in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years as holding extremist views or participating in extremist activity, and what steps were taken in each case.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in England and Wales were monitored by electronic devices because of suspected extremist activity in each of the last 10 years.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how often intelligence about extremist activity or concerns was passed to the counter terrorist liaison officer in each London borough in each of the last 10 years.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) plots to commit extremist acts and (b) such plots prevented in each of the last 10 years.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many suspects of interest in relation to extremism and radical views there have been in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 2010.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people the police visited in relation to suspected terrorist activity in each police force area in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office does not hold this information. The police in England and Wales do not judge ‘extremism’ to be either a criminal or civil offence. As a consequence they do not collect or store the data within the parameters requested. New criminal offences may be considered by the Counter Extremism Commission.

Counter-terrorism: Police

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how often intelligence about extremist activity or concerns was passed to the counter terrorist liaison officer in each police area in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers in a police force area in England and Wales are deployed to keep a terrorist suspect under 24-hour surveillance.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were placed under surveillance by the police because of concerns about extremist activity in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the estimated cost is to the police in England and Wales of keeping a terror suspect under 24-hour surveillance.

Mr Ben  Wallace: For reason of national security we cannot publically disclose this information.Government spending on C.T. across Whitehall has risen 30% from the forecasted 1.7bn in 2015 to £15.2bn.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent investment the Government has made to support the supply chain for the automotive sector.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 05 September 2017



Through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, the government has committed £500m over 10 years to accelerate the development of affordable low-carbon vehicle technologies that will form the basis of future vehicle supply chains, and maintain the international competitiveness of the UK automotive sector.The Automotive Investment Organisation is leading government action to secure investment in manufacturing and R&D facilities. This is central to increasing the level of local content in UK built vehicles, which increased to 44% in 2017, up from 36% in 2011.The £246m Faraday Challenge, launched in July 2017, will ensure the UK leads the world in battery development.

Energy: Vale of Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of constituents in Vale of Clwyd constituency eligible for the safeguard price cap for energy.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 September 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal. Alongside this Ofgem has announced a package of measures to help consumers move away from poor value tariffs.

Margot James: Ofgem is considering options to protect vulnerable consumers and has yet to announce a formal proposal. Alongside this Ofgem has announced a package of measures to help consumers move away from poor value tariffs.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU)

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 5540, whether he plans for there to be a free-standing right to equal treatment in UK law once the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Charter of Fundamental Rights simply reaffirms rights which already exist in EU law, including the principle that everyone is equal before the law. As EU law and Court of Justice EU case law will be preserved as provided for in the EU (Withdrawal) Bill: it is the Government’s intention that the removal of the Charter from UK law will not affect the substantive rights that individuals already benefit from in the UK, as the Charter was never in itself the source of those rights.The protections covered in domestic equality legislation, such as the Equality Act 2006, the Equality Act 2010 and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland, will continue to apply once the UK has left the European Union.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July to Question 3564, on Immigration: EU Nationals, whether UK nationals who have rights under the Surinder Singh principle will continue to enjoy those rights once the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The details of the settled status scheme put forward in the Government’s policy paper “Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU” (Cm 9464) will be subject to negotiations. We will publish detailed eligibility criteria and requirements in due course.

Brexit

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the reported comments of the European Commission's Chief Negotiator Michael Barnier at the conclusion of the round two Brexit negotiation talks on 20 July 2017, what points of divergence there are between the EU negotiating position and the UK negotiating position on (a) the rights of future family members and (b) the exports of certain social benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: There is much common ground between the UK’s and the EU’s positions on citizens’ rights. We are both clear that we want to protect the broad range of rights and entitlements currently enjoyed by both EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU. While there are, naturally, points on which our positions differ, we are confident we can reach agreement early in the negotiations. The Citizens’ Rights Working Group completed a mapping of the areas of alignment and divergence between the EU and UK positions, to prioritise future discussions. It can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-technical-note-on-the-comparison-of-eu-uk-positions-on-citizens-rights.



July joint technical note
(PDF Document, 217.39 KB)




August joint technical note
(PDF Document, 157.59 KB)

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2017 to Question 3555, what period of absence from the UK will constitute a gap in continuous residence for the purpose of obtaining settled status.

Mr Robin Walker: In line with the current requirements under the Free Movement Directive, a person may be absent for up to 6 months in a year, in order to continue to accrue the five years’ continuous residence.We are prepared to offer flexibility in respect of citizens with strong ties in the UK, for example, students who are studying abroad or workers on an overseas posting if the EU offers similar flexibility on this point.

Wales Office

WAG First Minister

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, when he plans next to meet the First Minister of Wales.

Alun Cairns: My Rt hon Friend the First Secretary of State and I met the First Minister on Monday to discuss the Withdrawal Bill. In particular, the next steps to correct deficiencies and where frameworks are needed when powers are returned from the EU.

Trade Agreements: Wales

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on ensuring that the Welsh Government is consulted on future trade deals.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on ensuring that the Welsh Government is consulted on future trade deals.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on ensuring that the Welsh Government is consulted on future trade deals.

Alun Cairns: I am in regular contact with the Secretary of State for International Trade and our departments will continue to collaborate to ensure that we work closely with the Devolved Administrations. I can assure you, this Government is committed to developing a trade policy that works for the whole of the UK, reflecting the needs and individual circumstances of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Department for Education

Teachers: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers were in post in Oldham schools in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the full time equivalent number[1] of teachers in service in state funded schools in Oldham local authority and England in November each year between 2012 and 2016. OldhamEngland20122,300445,40020132,300449,7002014[2]2,200454,9002015[3]2,100456,9002016[4]2,200457,300Source: School Workforce Census [1] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100 teachers.[2] Excludes figures for one school in Oldham local authority that did not supply teacher data in 2014.[3] Excludes figures for five schools in Oldham local authority that did not supply teacher data in 2015.[4] Excludes figures for two schools in Oldham local authority that did not supply teacher data in 2016.

Classroom Assistants: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teaching assistants were in post in Oldham schools in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the full time equivalent number[1] of teaching assistants in service in state funded schools in Oldham local authority and England in November each year between 2012 and 2016. OldhamEngland20121,500232,30020131,500243,7002014[2]1,600255,1002015[3]1,300263,0002016[4]1,600265,600Source: School Workforce Census [1] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100 teaching assistants.[2] Excludes figures for one school in Oldham local authority that did not supply teaching assistant data in 2014.[3] Excludes figures for five schools in Oldham local authority that did not supply teaching assistant data in 2015.[4] Excludes figures for two schools in Oldham local authority that did not supply teaching assistant data in 2016.

Children: Disadvantaged

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children who frequently turn up to school not having eaten breakfast.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry but the department does not collect this data.We know how important it is for pupils to get a good start in the morning and eat a healthy breakfast. We are investing in a breakfast club programme as announced in the Childhood Obesity Plan in August 2016. This committed £10 million a year of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to expand breakfast club provision in up to 1,600 schools. Further details of the programme will be announced in due course.

Headteachers: Females

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the under-representation of women as headteachers.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to increasing the number of women in headship positions. This is why we have funded a range of activity to support women to progress in their careers. This includes the Leadership Equality and Diversity Fund, which supports schools to develop local solutions to enable more teachers from under-represented groups, including women, to progress into leadership. The Department has also launched nine regional Women Leading in Education networks, which aim to raise the profile of women in education and offer advice to enable more women to progress into leadership. Alongside this, we have launched a Leadership Coaching Pledge, inviting women to develop their leadership through free coaching from other experienced school leaders. We are also working to increase flexible working opportunities for all teachers and will be holding a summit in the autumn to identify ways of overcoming barriers to flexible working in schools.

Class Sizes

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Barnsley and (ii) the UK in each of the last seven years.

Nick Gibb: At local authority level, average class size figures are calculated and published annually for Key Stages 1 and 2, within primary level, for all authorities in England. The most recent figures can be found in local authority and regional table 11 of the statistical first release available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017. Local authority level data at secondary level is not available.A UK figure is not available. As education is a devolved matter, statistics on schools are published separately by the four administrations.

Graduates

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people from (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England have graduated from university in each year since 2015.

Joseph Johnson: Information on enrolments and qualifications obtained at UK higher education institutions is collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). More information on HESA is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/.The number of qualifiers from higher education courses who were domiciled in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside local authority, the North East region and England prior to study in each year since 2014/15 academic year has been provided in the table.Statistics for the 2016/17 academic year will come available from HESA in January 2018. Higher Education qualifiers by place of domicile prior to studyUK Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic years 2014/15 to 2015/16Academic YearJarrowSouth TynesideNorth EastEngland Total2014/155851,00520,280452,2752015/166251,02520,715451,075Source: DfE analysis of the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) Student RecordNotes1) Figures are based on the HESA qualifier population.2) Qualifiers from both undergraduate and postgraduate levels of study.3) Figures are rounded to the nearest five.4) Parliamentary constituency and local authority is derived from the student's postcode prior to study.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people from (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England attended university in each year since 2012.

Joseph Johnson: Information on enrolments and qualifications obtained at UK higher education institutions is collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). More information on HESA is available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/.The number of enrolments on higher education courses who were domiciled in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside local authority, the North East region and England prior to study in each year since the 2012/13 academic year has been provided in the table.Statistics for the 2016/17 academic year will come available from HESA in January 2018.Higher Education enrolments by place of domicile prior to studyUK Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic years 2012/13 to 2015/16Academic YearJarrowSouth TynesideNorth EastEngland Total2012/131,9553,38068,1101,578,2452013/141,9053,30565,9101,529,4302014/151,9053,27564,5801,497,7152015/161,9703,32065,3001,511,890Source: DfE analysis of the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) Student RecordNotes1) Figures are based on the HESA standard registration population.2) Enrolments include students across all years and levels of study.3) Figures are rounded to the nearest five.4) Parliamentary constituency and local authority is derived from the student's postcode prior to study.

Arts: GCSE

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students studied (a) art and design subjects, (b) design and technology subjects, (c) drama, (d) media, film and TV studies subjects, (e) music and (f) performing and expressive arts subjects to GCSE level in each of the last seven years.

Nick Gibb: The number of students, at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2009/10 – 2015/16, who were entered for a GCSE in the requested subjects is published as part of the ‘Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2015 to 2016’ Statistical First Release (SFR)1. Within the ‘Subject time series tables: SFR03/2017’ document, the tab ‘Subject time series’ lists the student entries for each year. The ‘Subject grouping composition’ tab lists the subjects that are required to calculate the total entries. Expressive Arts & Performance Studies, Film Studies and Theatre Studies are contained within the Communication studies subject grouping in the SFR and therefore should be included when calculating the total entries.  1 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2015-to-2016.

Arts: Education

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) protect the availability of arts and creative subjects and (b) remove barriers to pupils studying them.

Nick Gibb: The Government believes all pupils should have a high quality, well rounded education and that arts subjects are central to this.The new National Curriculum, introduced in 2014, sets out the essential knowledge in the key subjects that schools should teach. In Key Stages 1 to 3, music and art and design are statutory subjects for maintained schools. At Key Stage 4, all pupils in maintained schools must be offered the opportunity to study at least one subject in the arts ‘entitlement’ area, which includes art and design, music, dance, drama, and media arts.Beyond the curriculum, we are investing £300 million of ring fenced funding in music hubs in 2016-20. This is intended to ensure all pupils benefit from a high quality music education, including learning to play musical instruments and having the opportunity to play and sing in ensembles.

Health Education

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to make promoting wellbeing a statutory duty of a school and include it in the Ofsted inspection framework.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The 2006 Education and Inspections Act laid a duty on the governing bodies of maintained schools, in discharging their functions relating to the conduct of the school, to promote the well-being of pupils at the school.Under Ofsted’s current framework, school inspectors make a graded judgement on pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare. In reporting on the effectiveness of the school, they also consider pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school inspection handbook gives more details of how inspections are carried out and how well-being can be reflected in judgements. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-from-september-2015.

Schools: Work Experience

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of schools participating in employment and enterprise schemes.

Anne Milton: We do not collect information on the number of schools participating in employment and enterprise schemes. The government established the employer-led Careers & Enterprise Company in 2014 to link employers with schools and colleges. The Company has set up an Enterprise Adviser Network of senior volunteers from business to work with schools and colleges to increase opportunities for young people to learn more about the world of work. Over 1,700 Enterprise Advisers are working with over 1,700 schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise provision.

Overseas Students

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote UK higher education abroad to prospective international students.

Joseph Johnson: The Government fully recognises the important contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education sector, both economically and culturally. We welcome genuine students and there remains no limit on the number of international students who can come here to study. The Government actively encourages study in the UK through the GREAT Campaign and through the British Council, which promotes the UK in over 100 countries, connecting millions of people with the United Kingdom. Numbers of international (non-EU domiciled) students studying at UK universities remain at record highs - over 170,000 non-EU entrants to UK higher education institutions for the sixth year running. The latest Home Office visa data also shows that, since 2011, university-sponsored visa applications have risen by around 12 per cent.

Teachers: Vacancies

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the value of a national online platform for advertising teaching vacancies.

Nick Gibb: The Department is undertaking research to strengthen its understanding of the issues schools face when advertising teacher vacancies and the challenges teachers have finding and applying for jobs. This will inform the development and design of a new national teacher vacancy service.This service will aim to reduce the time schools spend on publishing vacancies and the cost of recruiting new teachers. It will also make it easier for teachers to find jobs and increase the availability and quality of data on teacher recruitment.We will provide further details in due course.

Teachers: Recruitment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on teacher recruitment of the UK leaving the EU.

Nick Gibb: The Department has not historically collected data on EU nationals in the schools workforce. On 27 July, the Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to gather evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy, ahead of our exit from the EU. The MAC’s independent advice will inform decisions on future immigration arrangements. Crucially, this commission will enable business, public and voluntary sector employers to submit evidence and views. We are carefully considering the implications over time for future recruitment of teachers from EEA countries, and we will work to ensure that schools continue to be able to recruit the teachers they need.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 565, what estimate she has made of the savings to be made from the healthy pupils capital to increase core schools funding in 2018-19.

Mr Robert Goodwill: To allow us to prioritise core school funding, we have had to make difficult decisions about other budgets. We have, therefore, decided to make savings of £315 million from healthy pupils capital funding.We think it is right to maximise the funding that goes directly to all schools, and put decisions about spending in the hands of headteachers who know best how to use their funding to achieve the best outcomes for their pupils. Every pound of England’s share of spending funded by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will, however, continue to be invested in improving child health, including £100m in 2018-19 on healthy pupils capital.

Curriculum

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of school curriculum changes since 2010 on employment in the creative industries.

Nick Gibb: First teaching of the current curriculum only started in September 2014. The new National Curriculum was developed with input from employers, Further Education and Higher Education representatives. It is designed to equip pupils with the knowledge they need to go on to further education or careers, including in the creative industries.

Ministry of Justice

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the review into the Sex Offender Treatment Programme was commissioned; and which Minister commissioned that review.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The recently published study in to Core Sex Offender Treatment Programmes was commissioned in December 2014 by the then MOJ Director of Analysis as part of ongoing evaluative work undertaken by the Department.

Wills

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is his policy to support the proposals made by the Law Commission to allow a will or other testamentary disposition to be created by text message or by another similarly informal route; and what assessment he has made of the potential of such a course of action to lead to increased fraud and litigation.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Law Commission has not made proposals to allow wills and other testamentary dispositions to be created by text message or similar informal routes. The Law Commission is, however, currently considering the law of Wills, including how the law can provide for the making of electronic wills, whilst ensuring testators are protected against risks of fraud and exploitation. As part of this project, the Commission published a consultation paper Making a Will (Consultation Paper 231) on 13 July inviting views on a wide range of issues relating to the law of wills. The paper is available at https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/wills/. The consultation period closes on 10 November.The Government will carefully consider any recommendations made by the Commission, but, at present, has no plans to change the legal requirements for creating a valid will or other testamentary disposition. No assessment of the potential for fraud and litigation arising from a relaxation of those requirements has, therefore, been made.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Business Services National Security Vetting: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's paper Better Defence Estate, published in November 2016, when he plans to announce a decision on the future location of the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting, currently based in York.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Imphal Barracks has been identified for disposal. The Ministry of Defence will reprovide for the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting, a decision on its future location will be made prior to the closure of the site in 2031.

Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry Museum

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to close the Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry Museum as a result of the proposals in his Department's Better Defence Estate report, published in November 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Queen's Own Yorkshire Yeomanry Museum was not included in the Better Defence Estate Strategy announcement and there are currently no plans to close it under the strategy.

Duncombe Barracks

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's Better Defence Estate strategy published in November 2016, when he plans to announce a decision on the future of Duncombe Barracks in York.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Duncombe Barracks was announced as surplus to requirements under the Future Reserves 2020 programme on 3 July 2013. This is a separate programme of work to that being undertaken as part of the estate optimisation strategy.

Military Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the whole-lifetime cost of operating RAF (a) Hercules and (b) A400M fleets.

Harriett Baldwin: The Infrastructure and Projects Authority Annual Report on Major Projects 2016-2017 gives a Whole Life Cost total baseline for A400M Atlas as £3,614.94 million for 22 aircraft.For Hercules, the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is due to their length of service.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Arrestor Beds have been installed, or are about to be installed, at any RAF station other than RAF Northolt.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Arrestor Beds have been installed at RAF Northolt. There are no other plans to install Arrestor Beds at any other RAF station in the UK.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to section 4.22 of the Project Ark report by Ernst and Young of 1 February 2012, whether spare capacity at RAF Northolt can accommodate up to 20,000 business jets per year.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to section 1.24 of the Project Ark report by Ernst and Young of 1 February 2012, for what reasons planning permission has not been sought from the London Borough of Hillingdon for the proposed works at RAF Northolt.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans for RAF Northolt to apply for a Civil Aviation Authority licence.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of operating 12,000 commercial flights annually from RAF Northolt.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many meetings his Department have had with commercial airlines on matters relating to RAF Northolt over the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to section 1.25 of the Project Ark report by Ernst and Young of 1 February 2012, whether the runway at RAF Northolt is operationally capable of receiving large commercial aircraft.

Harriett Baldwin: Between 2011 and 2013 the Government reviewed a range of options for RAF Northolt, including the potential for disposal or transfer of the aerodrome functions to a civil operator. As part of this, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) commissioned the 2012 Project Ark report. The reference to civil licences in the Project Ark report was in relation to some of these options. Following this review, in April 2013 MOD Ministers took the decision to retain RAF Northolt as a military aerodrome, and other options were not taken forward. Therefore, civil licences were not considered further. The Project Ark report said that there may be potential to increase civil use on the military aerodrome up to 20,000 movements. However, Ministers took the decision to raise the self-imposed cap on civil movements to 12,000 movements per year. There are no plans to revisit this decision. Following that April 2013 review decision, the Project Ark report was archived, many of its options remained hypothetical, and it is not an active planning document. Medium-size airliner type aircraft can be operated at RAF Northolt. Alongside the based BAe 146 military airframes, a number of European allies operate medium-airliner-sized military aircraft into RAF Northolt on military business. However, civil movements remain under strict terms and conditions which specifically limit operating hours and the number of passengers, and exclude Scheduled Commercial Operations. This has the effect of limiting the types of civil aircraft which can operate into RAF Northolt to business aviation flights.No meetings have been held with commercial airlines about RAF Northolt, but Ministers did in late 2015 and early 2016 correspond twice in reply to the Chief Executive of Flybe, following an unsolicited bid from that airline. This was not considered further. There are no plans to change the strict terms and conditions that limit the number of passengers on civil movements and exclude scheduled flights. As the planned runway works will see the refurbishment of existing infrastructure for military requirements, and no change of use is planned, there is no requirement for planning permission.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons it is necessary to install Arrestor Beds at RAF Northolt.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the safety benefits are of installing Arrestor Beds at RAF Northolt.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Arrestor Beds being installed at RAF Northolt are EMAS Arrestor Beds.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The installation of the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) Arrestor Beds at RAF Northolt will give the RAF the ability to ensure site containment and safety in the event an aircraft overrunning the runway.The EMAS Arrestor system, which will be used at RAF Northolt is currently the only product certified for use in the U.K. which has been scientifically modelled and manufactured to ensure arresting capability.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what mechanisms RAF Northolt has in place to manage noise complaints from people under the flight path of places using that airfield.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: RAF Northolt maintains extensive links with local community groups where local concerns can be raised. The station invites local community leaders to six monthly meetings of the Community Liaison Group so it can update them on issues such as infrastructure work or expected unusual military aircraft movements.Members of the public can contact the station direct by telephone or online and a dedicated officer will investigate their concerns and respond to them.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of the runway re-surfacing works at RAF Northolt will be.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the runway re-surfacing works at RAF Northolt are to cost up to £45 million when similar re-surfacing works at commercial airports have had significantly lower costs.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The cost for the whole RAF Northolt project is £35 - £45 million. The cost includes all work on site and is directly comparable to similar commercial projects. The cost of the runway re-surfacing cannot be separated out.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many tonnes of materials will be excavated from the runway re-surfacing at RAF Northolt; and where that waste will be taken.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Until the detailed design is complete this is an unknown quantity. However, all work will be conducted in line with regulatory standards, following Government guidelines and approvals.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many lorry movements will be required to undertake the runway re-surfacing works at RAF Northolt.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The amount of lorry movements required to undertake runway re-surfacing works at RAF Northolt is not known. However, all work will be conducted in line with regulatory standards, following government guidelines and approvals.

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether RAF service personnel have been involved in the marketing and promotion of commercial flights at RAF Northolt.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 10 February 2016 to Question 26707.



RAF Northolt
(Word Document, 13.57 KB)

RAF Northolt: Aviation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether RAF service personnel are involved in providing services for commercial flights at RAF Northolt.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-military staff are employed at RAF Northolt for the purposes of providing services for commercial flights; and how much the provision of such staff costs.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Mr Phillip Dunne) on 22 February 2016 to Question 26707.One Ministry of Defence civil servant at Executive Officer grade is employed at RAF Northolt with a salary range of £24,663 to £28,253. There are five personnel employed through the multi-activity contractor, within the Commercial Booking Cell. I am withholding these staff costs as they are commercially sensitive.



26707 - WQnA extract on RAF Northolt
(Word Document, 12.47 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Mental Health Services

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many mental health practitioners were employed by his Department in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The numbers are shown in the following table, rounded to the nearest 5.  RegularReserveCivilianTotal2012Psychiatrist20~Not available20Psychologist00Not available0Mental Health Nurse12030Not available150Social Worker00Not available0TOTAL14030Not available170 2013Psychiatrist1010525Psychologist~01010Mental Health Nurse1205010180Social Worker001010TOTAL1306035225 2014Psychiatrist10~515Psychologist~01010Mental Health Nurse1204010170Social Worker001010TOTAL1304035205 2015Psychiatrist10~515Psychologist~02020Mental Health Nurse1104020170Social Worker001010TOTAL1204055215 2016Psychiatrist15~520Psychologist~02525Mental Health Nurse1055015170Social Worker001010TOTAL1205055225  (~) denotes a number less than five.

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit: Supported Housing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 September 2016 on housing benefit, what estimate he has made of the size of the top-up fund for supported accommodation.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 September 2016 HCWS154, what progress has been made on the administration of the supported accommodation top-up fund.

Caroline Dinenage: Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on the Government’s plans in the autumn.

Social Security Benefits

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's freedom of information response 1740 of 15 May 2017, what factors his Department took into consideration in setting the 80 per cent of the original decisions are to be upheld measure for monitoring mandatory reconsideration; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The department has not set a target for upholding original decisions at Mandatory Reconsideration. The 80 per cent figure, which was used in the answer to Freedom of Information request 1740, is not considered by the decision maker when they carry out a Mandatory Reconsideration but is used to assess the quality of benefit decisions. In order to ensure we have consistently accurate decisions we track and monitor Mandatory Reconsiderations to assess the quality of our initial decision making and to help understand and improve our processes.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) applied for and (b) received employment and support allowance, whose main disabling condition was recorded as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, in each of the last 10 years.

Penny Mordaunt: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008.The available information is shown in the following tables: Table 1: Number of individuals making an initial claim to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) whose main disabling condition was recorded as Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, Great Britain, 2008 - 2016  Year of ESA claim startInitial ESA claims2008 (Oct – Dec)30020092,20020102,20020112,60020122,80020132,70020142,80020152,6002016 (Jan - Sep)1,800 Table 2: Number of individuals assigned to ESA Support Group or the ESA Work Capability Group following their Work Capability Assessment (for initial, repeat or IB reassessment claims), whose main disabling condition was recorded as Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, Great Britain, 2008 - 2016 Year of ESA claim start Initial ESA claimsRepeat ESA assessmentsIB reassessments2008 (Oct – Dec)100100.2009700600.2010800700.20111,1001,3001,30020121,6001,9002,30020131,2001,0001,80020141,20040020020151,2003001002016 (Jan - Sep)700--  Source for Tables 1 and 2: Application data is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by the Healthcare Provider. Notes for Tables 1 and 2:The figures are rounded to the nearest 100. ‘–‘denotes figures that are zero or less than 50. ‘.’ denotes not applicable.The information for 2016 is provided up to September 2016 only; this is the latest data available at time of request.Data is available for ESA from October 2008 and for IB reassessment claims from April 2011.An individual may have made more than one ESA claim or assessment in any given year. These individuals will only be counted once in each of the figures provided.The primary medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming ESA on the basis of Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the work capability assessment.

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received personal independence payments whose main disabling condition was recorded as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis since 2013.

Penny Mordaunt: Between April 2013 and April 2017 there have been 3,700 awards for Personal Independence Payment where the main disabling condition recorded was Crohn’s disease and 1,300 awards where the main disabling condition was ulcerative colitis.

Access to Work Programme

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have (a) applied for and (b) received support from the access to work scheme, whose main disabling condition was recorded as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or inflammatory bowel disease, in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not available

Department for Work and Pensions: Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which of his Department's online services are available in the Welsh language only on request.

Caroline Dinenage: Most DWP services are available in Welsh without the need for a request, via the online services provided by the Department through GOV.UK : Jobseekers Allowance OnlineCarer’s AllowanceAccess to WorkReporting Benefit FraudUniversal JobmatchBudgeting LoanFind a Lost PensionCheck Your State PensionState Pension OnlineTell Us Once An Online complaints portal, to allow customers to raise any complaints about Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit, is also available in Welsh from the DWP corporate pages on GOV.UK. Universal Credit can be claimed online in English. We are planning a Welsh Language solution due in 2018. In the interim, Universal Credit can be claimed in Welsh over the telephone via our Service Centres.

Department for Work and Pensions: European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of Acts or parts of Acts that will be subject to repeal as a result of provisions in the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.

Damian Hinds: Government departments have been analysing the UK statute book and directly applicable EU law in their areas of responsibility to enable an assessment of the scale of the changes needed. This is likely to include the repeal, but also the amendment, of provisions in Acts but we are not in a position to give a sense of scale at this time. In the Government White Paper on the Repeal Bill ‘Legislating for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union’, published on 30 March 2017, we estimated around 800 - 1,000 EU-exit related Statutory Instruments will be required.

Personal Independence Payment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to replace the 20 metre walking distance for personal independence payment mobility criterion with the 50 metre walking distance used for disability living allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The 20m distance is not the only factor considered when applying a descriptor for the Moving around activity. Individuals who can walk more than 20 metres can still receive the enhanced rate of the mobility component, if they cannot do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period.

Department for Work and Pensions: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of his Department's annual expenditure is allocated to work relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Damian Hinds: EU Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Work and Pensions is working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union to support the UK’s exit from the EU. Given the interactions between EU Exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to provide a precise figure on the annual expenditure of work relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Low Pay

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of low pay on levels of social security spending for (a) public and (b) private sector employees by (i) industrial sector and (ii) region.

Damian Hinds: HM Government have not made an assessment of the effect of low pay on levels of social security spending.

Occupational Pensions: Self-employed

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to bring self-employed workers into auto enrollment.

Guy Opperman: The Department is undertaking a review of the policy and operation of automatic enrolment, supported by an external Advisory Group. I refer you to the scope of this review set out by my Hon Friend Richard Harrington MP on 12 Dec 2016. It will look at the diverse group of self-employed people and how they might be better enabled to save for their retirement. The review report will be laid before Parliament at the end of the year.

Assets: Sales

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to secure a full transparent market for asset purchase and sales.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has identified the cost collection templates negotiated with the Investment Association as his Department's preferred methodology for cost collection.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that all of the recommendations in the Financial Conduct Authority's asset management market review are implemented.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to end the practice of hidden fees being taken from pension pots by asset managers.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve the transparency of pension costs.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to tackle the issue of hidden costs in pension pots.

Guy Opperman: It is important that pension savers know the costs and charges they are paying and the government is committed to making this happen. We want pension scheme members to have confidence that there are no hidden charges or fees being taken from their pots. Since 2015, we have required occupational and personal workplace pension schemes offering money purchase benefits, including master trust schemes, to produce an annual statement, which is available to members; which sets out the level of charges and, as far as they are able, transaction costs applicable to all funds; and the extent to which these charges and costs represent good value for members. It has previously been difficult for schemes to obtain information about the charges and transaction costs they incur. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) consulted last year on proposals requiring asset managers to disclose this information to trustees of occupational schemes offering money purchase benefits, and the governance committees for workplace personal pensions. The FCA will publish a Policy Statement later in the year setting out the final rules and guidance to disclose costs in a standardised format. We then intend to consult on how we can provide information about these costs and charges to the members of occupational schemes and to publish it. The FCA will, thereafter, introduce similar provisions for personal workplace pension schemes members. The FCA’s Asset Management Market Study indicated that there are significant issues with the way the investment market works. Savers, trustees, and scheme sponsors need a transparent, competitive and cost-effective investment market to provide for their security in later life and to keep their pension provision affordable. We will be studying the recommendations and proposed remedies closely to see what else government can do to support the FCA’s vital work in this area, which could deliver favourable outcomes for pension savers. To drive competitive pressure on asset managers the FCA recommended we look at barriers to scheme consolidation. We know that smaller pension schemes may not be able to negotiate or drive lower prices within this market, which in turn can lead to better outcomes for savers. Following a recent Call for Evidence, we are actively considering ways that we can simplify scheme consolidation and enable pension scheme scale to develop further.

Pensions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, for what reasons pensioners in countries such as the Netherlands receive a 50 per cent higher income in retirement than their British counterparts.

Guy Opperman: Although international comparisons are insightful it is difficult to draw a direct parallel due to different historical impacts and systems. The Government has and is continuing to work hard to ensure financial security in later life.The UK system is based on a foundation income from the State in the form of the new State Pension, with provision above that from private saving, facilitated by auto-enrolment and pensions flexibilities. Thanks to triple lock, in April 2017, the basic state pension was over £1200 a year higher than it was in April 2010. The government is committed to the triple lock for the remainder of this parliament. The basic state pension it is now at one of its highest rates relative to earnings for over two decades, reversing a trend of decline we saw between 1997 and 2010. Recent reforms to private pensions including the introduction of Automatic Enrolment are also helping to improve retirement outcomes for future generations.

Motability

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Written Statement HCWS603 of 20 April 2017, if individuals subject to an appeal lodged before that statement will have their mobility vehicles returned.

Penny Mordaunt: When the Written Statement was issued on 20th April 2017, Motability contacted customers who were in the process of returning cars following an unsuccessful PIP reassessment. Claimants who had already handed back their vehicles before this date and who win on appeal can normally reapply for the Motability Scheme immediately, providing that they repay the Support money.While the Department works closely with Motability, it is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Motability scheme and the Transitional Support package. Any questions relating to the operation of the scheme itself should be directed to Motability itself.

Employment: Disability

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support disabled people to gain (a) employment and (b) skills and further training.

Penny Mordaunt: The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper Improving Lives demonstrated our strong commitment to providing the support required to help disabled people to be able to work. For example: we are more than doubling the number of Disability Employment Advisors (to over 500) to provide specialist expertise to help disabled people enter employment, we are spending £60m next year on additional support for new claimants with limited capability for work (and this figure will rise to £100m a year by 2020); we are investing in the skills and capabilities of Jobcentre Plus work coaches to enable them to better support people with a wide range of health conditions, including mental health conditions; and our new Personal Support Package includes an enhanced menu of employment support upon which for work coaches can draw. The Work and Health Programme will launch from the end of this year and will play a crucial role in offering support at the right time to those who have difficulty accessing the labour market. We expect the majority of people who will start the programme will be disabled people. Specialist Employability Support (SES) provides employment support for those with complex barriers to work for whom other employment support such as Work Choice is not suitable. For those in work, or just about to enter work, Access to Work provides practical and financial support with the additional costs faced by individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job and is also available for pre-employment activities such as Traineeships, Supported Internships and work trials. We will continue to develop our approach drawing on responses to the Green Paper consultation.

Personal Independence Payment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of personal independence payment claimants had the original decision on their application overturned as a result of (a) mandatory reconsideration, (b) the lodging of an appeal, without that appeal being heard and (c) an appeal hearing in each month for which data is available.

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of personal independence payment claimants has the original decision on their application overturned as a result of (a) mandatory reconsideration, (b) the lodging of an appeal, without that appeal being heard and (c) an appeal hearing in each month for which data is available.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances split by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html a) Statistics on outcomes of Mandatory Reconsiderations split by month can be found in published statistics in tables 7B of: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statisticsThese statistics relate to normal rules claims (i.e. excluding special rules cases for the terminally ill). b) The following table gives the number of decisions overturned by DWP after an appeal had been lodged, but before the appeal was heard by the tribunal for the period Apr13-Mar17.Month/Year cases were settled20132014201520162017Jan #200300800Feb #300200700Mar #400200900Apr0#300300 May0#400400 Jun0#400300 Jul0100300300 Aug0100200400 Sep0100200400 Oct#100200500 Nov#200300600 Dec#200200500 Total0900340043002500 ‘#’ Fewer than 50 claims in this category Between April 2013 and March 2017 11,000 cases were settled by the Department after the Mandatory reconsideration had taken place and an appeal been lodged, but before the tribunal hearing. c) Quarterly statistics on overturned cases at appeal can be found in published statistics from the Ministry of Justice in table SSCS.3 of: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics#history

Pensions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Law Commission on clarifying the duties of pension providers in respect of long-term investment factors.

Guy Opperman: We want pension schemes to take account of all financial long-term risks when making investment decisions, and we therefore welcome the Law Commission’s report.We are concerned that some investment decisions may be made with short-term considerations in mind. This can exclude consideration of options that take account of longer term financial factors, such as those arising from material environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks.We are concerned that some investment decisions may not appropriately take into account longer term financial factors, such as those arising from material environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks.One of the key recommendations is for trustees and providers to clearly distinguish financial risk factors – which must be taken account of; and non-financial (ethical) factors – which can be taken account if certain conditions are met. We will consider afresh whether our current legislation is clear enough in light of the report.However, we also wish to address some of the behavioural biases that may exist in the industry, such as the assumption that social motivation and good investment returns are not compatible.In line with the protocol agreed by the Lord Chancellor with the Law Commission, we aim to provide an interim response to both the 5 recommendations and the 11 options for reform by December 2017. We will respond in full within one year of publication, by June 2018.

Winter Fuel Payments

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of means-testing the winter fuel allowance.

Guy Opperman: There will be no change to the universal nature of the Winter Fuel Payment for the length of this Parliament.

Jobcentres: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to invest in the Jobcentre Plus building in Union Street, Oldham; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: There are no changes planned for the Jobcentre plus building in Union Street, Oldham (Tweedale Jobcentreplus) however, there will be appropriate investment in the building and the services delivered from it.

State Pension Age Independent Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the Government's response to the Cridland review.

Guy Opperman: The Pensions Act 2014 sets a statutory requirement for the Government to publish its review of State Pension age before 7 May 2017, but this was delayed because of the General Election being called before that date. The event of an election meant that the new Government needed to consider and make their own judgements on such issues. This was a significant decision with a weighty evidence base and it would have been irresponsible of this Government not to give this issue the consideration it deserved. The review was published on Wednesday 19 July 2017. Please find the below web link to the published report. Governments State pension age review final report

State Retirement Pensions: Age

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of adults who would have to work longer as a result of proposals in the Cridland Review.

Guy Opperman: We estimate that 6 million people in Great Britain would be affected by bringing forward the rise in State Pension age from 67 to 68 from 2044-46 to 2037-39 (those born between 6 April 1970 and 5 April 1978). These people would see their State Pension age increased by up to one year. For those who can work longer, doing so brings benefits both for individuals, through sustaining social networks and boosting subsequent retirement income, and for the economy. Research carried out in 2013 showed that, if everyone worked for one year longer, it would add 1% to GDP.

Occupational Pensions: Low Pay

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to extend auto-enrolment to low earners.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that carers have access to workplace pensions.

Guy Opperman: Personal care assistants who meet the eligibility criteria for automatic enrolment must already be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by their employers. My Department is currently undertaking a review of the policy and operation of automatic enrolment. This includes looking at the existing policy coverage and how to achieve the right balance between enabling as many people as possible to save into a workplace pension, whilst ensuring that it should make economic sense for them to do so. The review report will be laid before Parliament at the end of the year. The review will have regard to the Equality Act and the principles of fairness, affordability and sustainability. This includes the need to balance the needs of individuals with the costs to employers and ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Employment: Hearing Impairment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides for businesses to assist with the employment of staff with a hearing impairment.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department does not provide such support direct to businesses, but for individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job who are in work, or just about to enter work, Access to Work provides practical and financial support with additional costs. The type of support is tailored to an individual’s needs and can include travel to work, support workers and specialist aids and equipment for the individual, as well as advice for employers and awareness raising sessions for their staff. Access to Work does not replace the duty an employer has under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments. Instead it provides support that is over and above that which is a reasonable adjustment. In addition, the new Disability Confident scheme, launched by the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work in November 2016, works with employers to create a movement for change, by encouraging them to think differently about disability and to take action to improve how they attract, recruit and retain disabled workers. This involves business talking to business, with disability confident employers sharing their evidence and experiences with other employers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water: EU Law

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the UK's waterways that will meet the EU's good ecological and chemical status by 2027.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive within the UK is a devolved matter. Updated River Basin Management Plans published in 2016 provide the framework for protecting and improving the water environment, and focus on the improvements for the period 2016 to 2021. The Plans for England confirm over £3billion of investment by 2021, leading to improvements in at least 680 water bodies. This includes an overall target to enhance at least 5000 miles of waters by 2021. The Plans will be reviewed and updated in 2021 taking account of progress that has been made and the best evidence then on what can be achieved by 2027.

Schools: Air Pollution

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor air pollution at (a) state schools in urban areas and (b) any school near an A road or motorway.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of schools in England that are in areas known to breach EU limits on nitrogen dioxide pollution.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK monitors air quality and its environmental impacts via a network of over 270 monitoring stations. The location and density of monitoring stations is greatest within areas where the highest concentrations of pollutants occur. The number and location of stations is regularly reviewed to ensure sites are appropriately located.Defra provides guidance and support to local authorities in England on local monitoring. Positioning of local monitors is expected to be in line with national and local priorities, which may include schools and other locations where there is high risk of public exposure to air pollutants. Local authorities in England operate over 700 local monitoring stations.The Department has not made an estimate of the number of schools in England that are in areas known to breach EU limits on nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

Department for Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, by what date all the non-ACM housing cladding samples received to date will be tested.

Alok Sharma: In line with advice from a panel of independent experts, the testing process for cladding samples being run by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) is specifically designed to characterise the core of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding samples.The tests are not designed for, nor can they provide suitable information on, any non-Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding samples.In each of these cases the landlord will be informed that their sample is not ACM cladding and has not been tested. All non-ACM samples are being kept by the BRE until further notice.

Derelict Land: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the development of brownfield sites for housing in the West Midlands.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 18 July 2017



My officials have had various discussions with a range of local authorities in the West Midlands. The Government has an ambitious programme to bring brownfield land back into use in England, as set out in the Housing White Paper.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps have been taken to facilitate communication between survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire separated and housed in various hotels and temporary accommodation.

Alok Sharma: There are 148 families or individuals from Grenfell Tower who have been provided with key workers and 24 from Grenfell walk.Ensuring that the community feels properly supported and engaged is a critical part of rebuilding lives. After the tragedy, the Westway Assistance Centre initially provided access to support and government services. The new Community Assistance Centre which opened on 20 July, is now providing official support to those affected by this tragedy and offering space for the community to meet up. We are also supporting the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council's work to engage the local community and will work with them to ensure it fully meets the needs of residents and supporting community organisations.

Fire Prevention: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people being evacuated from buildings that fail fire safety inspections are found suitably accessible housing.

Alok Sharma: The Government believes it is important that people who require accessible housing are given the right level of priority under a council’s housing allocation scheme, and that councils and social landlords are able to make the best use of affordable housing in their area, including accommodation which is accessible or has been adapted. We have retained the statutory ‘reasonable preference’ requirements which ensure that priority for social housing is given to those who need to move on medical and welfare grounds, and this includes grounds relating to a disability.The Government also funds the Disabled Facilities Grant, which pays for adaptations to the homes of disabled people to help them live safely and independently. Local housing authorities are under a statutory duty to provide adaptations for those people who qualify for the grant. The Disabled Facilities Grant funding for England for 2017-18 is £431 million.

Scotland Office

Space Technology: Ayrshire

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the local economy of the construction and establishment of a UK spaceport in Ayrshire.

David Mundell: The UK has a strong small satellite manufacturing sector, and forecasts suggest that the global satellite launch and spaceflight industry could be worth as much as £25 billion pounds over the next 20 years. By establishing a spaceport to enable these activities, growth and skilled jobs will be created in regions of the UK that need them most. The UK Space Agency is leading work across Government to enable the UK to play a leading part in the growing commercial space market. As part of this programme, the Space Agency is working with a number of different sites across the UK that have expressed interest in becoming a spaceport, and have recently invited proposals from partnerships of potential spaceports and space vehicle operators. Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire has been looking into starting spaceport operations for some years now, working closely with the Space Agency to develop their plans. Any proposal for a UK spaceport will be assessed on both value for money and benefit – both local and national. I cannot discuss the details or identities of any bids as this is an on-going commercial process, but I will update the hon Member as soon as possible.

Scotland Office: Advertising

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Department spent on advertising other than on social media in each month since January 2016; and how much of that spending was on (a) newspaper, (b) magazine, (c) billboard or similar, (d) radio, (e) television and (f) cinema advertising.

David Mundell: Nothing has been spent on any of these advertising channels in the period in question.

Scotland Office: Advertising

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what external advisers or companies his Department uses for advertising.

David Mundell: Agencies are procured as and when required and are not held on a retainer basis. We do not currently contract any services for advertising.

Scotland Office: Staff

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will list the job titles and numbers of staff under each job title in his Department.

David Mundell: Information on staffing, including a breakdown of staff by grade and gender, is published in the Scotland Office Annual Report:Scotland Office Annual Report 2016/17A detailed list of job titles and number of staff by each job title not published, as to do so would potentially make staff identifiable when numbers are less than five.

Devolution: Tayside

Luke Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent progress has been made on the Tay City Deal.

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what progress he has made on negotiations with the Scottish Government and local partners on the next phase of the Tay Cities Deal; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The UK Government continues to press ahead with discussions with the Tay City partners and I can confirm that further talks took place at the end of August. Local partners have put forward a large number of proposals, and the next step is to scrutinise these proposals rigorously to identify together which can deliver transformational change for the economy of the Tay Cities region.

Devolution: Stirling and Clackmannanshire

Luke Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent progress has been made on the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Deal.

David Mundell: Following my meeting with the hon Gentleman and the MP for Stirling, on 4 August I met with the Leader of Stirling Council and his officials to discuss progress with the Deal. My officials followed up by meeting Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils on 29 August. We are keen to reach agreement on the terms of an ambitious Deal as soon as possible, recognising this will require intensive engagement by the local partners.

Scotland Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 3978, if he will publish the scoring and evaluation conducted by his Department of its social media advertising campaigns since January 2016.

David Mundell: Due to the commercially sensitive nature of government social media advertising, this information cannot be shared.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Government's announcement of 17 July 2017, Huge economic boost for Scotland as Transport Secretary confirms new HS2 routes, what the evidential basis is for the economic benefits to Scotland.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Government's announcement of 17 July 2017, Huge economic boost for Scotland as Transport Secretary confirms new HS2 routes, what estimate the Government has made of the number of new trains that will be operating between London and (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Government's announcement of 17 July 2017, Huge economic boost for Scotland as Transport Secretary confirms new HS2 routes, what estimate the Government has made of the number of new seats that will be available on trains from London to (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh.

David Mundell: HS2 benefits Scotland through faster journeys and more frequent services. The Economic Case for HS2 Phase Two, published in July 2017, provided the latest evidential basis and showed that the overall benefits of HS2 across the UK, including wider economic impacts, are estimated at around £92bn in net present value terms. HS2’s business case assumes two 400m HS2 trains per hour between London and Scotland once HS2 is completed in 2033. Each train will split or join at Carstairs, with half serving Glasgow and half serving Edinburgh. Final decisions on the train service will be made closer to the opening of HS2. Each 400m HS2 train is assumed to have 1,056 seats. Assuming 16 hours of departures per day, the services assumed in the business case would provide a total of 34,000 seats between London-Glasgow and London-Edinburgh on HS2 in both directions each day.

HM Treasury

Overseas Aid

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to improve oversight of the UK aid strategy across government; and what steps he has taken in response to the National Audit Office recommended in its report on Managing the Official Development Assistance Target that his Department should improve its cross-government analysis of the effect of ODA expenditure.

Elizabeth Truss: In line with commitments in the UK Aid Strategy, the government has introduced robust monitoring, governance and oversight arrangements to ensure value for money of all Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend, including through setting up an ODA Senior Officials Group which reports to Ministers.

Russel Griggs

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the appointment of Professor Russell Griggs as the independent reviewer of HBOS Reading fraud cases.

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the appointment of Professor Russell Griggs as the independent reviewer of HBOS fraud cases.

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consultation his Department has carried out with people affected by HBOS fraud on the appointment of Professor Russell Griggs as the independent reviewer.

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential conflicts of interest in the appointment of Professor Russell Griggs as the independent reviewer of the HBOS fraud cases.

Stephen Barclay: In March 2017, Professor Russel Griggs was appointed as the Independent Reviewer of HBOS Reading customer compensation cases by Lloyds Banking Group (LBG), in consultation with the Financial Conduct Authority. His appointment is therefore not a matter for government. The government expects that the appointment of Professor Griggs will help LBG to resolve outstanding cases as soon as possible, so that any victims of fraud at HBOS Reading can be properly compensated.

Multinational Companies

Caroline Flint: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of automatic exchange of information on beneficial ownership as a means of introducing country-by-country reporting; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such automatic exchange of information for securing a multilateral agreement to introduce public country-by-country reporting.

Caroline Flint: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to issue guidance to business on the EU definition of commercially sensitive information for the purposes of the use of that term in the final form of Directive 2013/34EU on public country-by-country reporting.

Caroline Flint: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of countries the Government would need to support any multilateral agreement on public country-by-country reporting for the purposes of implementation of paragraph 17 (6) of Schedule 19 of the Finance Act 2016; and what steps he is taking to secure the support of that number of countries.

Caroline Flint: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government is assessing the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EU template for public country-by-country reporting.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has for the implementation of the provisions of schedule 19, paragraph 17, line 6 of the Finance Act 2016 on country-by-country reporting.

Mel Stride: Knowing who ultimately owns and controls a company is a crucial part of the global fight against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. The UK is leading by example and our freely accessible public register of company beneficial ownership went live in June 2016. Last year, the UK co-launched a ground breaking new initiative with the EU G5 for the systematic exchange of beneficial ownership information. Since launching the initiative, over 50 countries, including all of the Crown Dependencies and relevant Overseas Territories, have signed up. Building on the success of that multilateral approach, the UK is now pushing for multilateral agreement on a model of public country-by-country reporting (CBCR). It is important that there is a level of international support and co-ordination that leads to both domestic and foreign headquartered groups being required to report information for a comprehensive range of countries in which they operate. That is necessary to ensure that public CBCR meets its objective and to avoid the initiative distorting business decisions on their group structure and headquarter location. The UK is, as part of this, engaging constructively with the European Commission proposal for public CBCR. That includes the high-level aims of the Directive, and the more detailed aspects of the Directive that are alluded to in the question, on which discussions are still ongoing.

Mortgages: EU Nationals

Helen Hayes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has received (a) representations or (b) reports on an increase in discrimination towards non-UK EU nationals in terms of their access to mortgage financing on account of uncertainty as to the future status of EU citizens; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Treasury has not received any representations or reports on an increase in discrimination. UK Finance, the main industry trade body for this sector, have confirmed that mortgage lenders intend to pursue a business-as-usual approach throughout the withdrawal negotiation period, and will continue to treat customers fairly and act in the best interests of customers. Lenders are not currently adopting any changes to their lending criteria regarding citizenship status.The Government’s objective is to provide reassurance and certainty to the 3 million EU citizens living in the UK. Negotiations with the EU have been constructive, and will consider the issue of economic rights at the next round of negotiations.

Mortgages: EU Nationals

Helen Hayes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential occurrence of discrimination in access to mortgages for non-UK EU citizens; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Treasury has not made an assessment of the potential occurrence of discrimination in access to mortgages for non-UK EU citizens. UK Finance, the main industry trade body for this sector, have confirmed that mortgage lenders intend to pursue a business-as-usual approach throughout the withdrawal negotiation period, and will continue to treat customers fairly and act in the best interests of customers. Lenders are not currently adopting any changes to their lending criteria regarding citizenship status.The Government’s objective is to provide reassurance and certainty to the 3 million EU citizens living in the UK. Negotiations with the EU have been constructive, and will consider the issue of economic rights at the next round of negotiations.

Public Sector: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what distributional analysis his Department has carried out on the pay of public sector workers who are not covered by a pay review body; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that analysis.

Elizabeth Truss: It is the responsibility of the relevant departments and employers to consider how to distribute the funds available for their annual pay awards.

Fire and Rescue Services: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Government's estimates for 2017-18 as set out in the Supply and Appropriations (Main Estimates) 2010 will accommodate any increased pay offer to the Fire and Rescue Services.

Elizabeth Truss: Central Government does not play a role in the pay negotiation process for firefighters. It is the responsibility of the National Joint Council (NJC) to consider what pay award is appropriate, taking into account views of fire and rescue authorities and the budgets available.

Public Sector: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what equality impact assessment his Department has carried out on the pay of public sector workers who are not covered by a pay review body; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that assessment.

Elizabeth Truss: It is the responsibility of relevant departments to consider equalities implications for their workforces.

Capital Gains Tax

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was lost to the Exchequer as a result of the reduction of capital gains tax (a) basic rate to 10 per cent and (b) main rate to 20 per cent excluding residential property and carried interest since that reduction was implemented.

Mel Stride: The estimated effect on Exchequer revenue resulting from the reduction of capital gains tax (a) basic rate to 10 per cent and (b) main rate to 20 per cent excluding residential property and carried interest was published at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508147/PU1912_Policy_Costings_FINAL3.pdf.

Research: Investment

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has put in place to encourage private sector investment in research and development.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of UK research and development spending for 2016; and if he will make a statement.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of GDP research and development spending accounted for in 2016; and how that proportion compares with average national research and development spending as a proportion of GDP across the (a) OECD, (b) EU and (c) Eurozone.

Elizabeth Truss: Statistics on R&D are collected and published annually by the Office of National Statistics. The latest data available shows that in 2015, expenditure on R&D performed in the UK was £31.6 billion – its highest level on record. This is the equivalent of 1.7% GDP.Government will spend an additional £2bn per year by 2020-21, around a 20% increase in total annual government R&D spending. In addition to public investment in R&D – each £1 of public expenditure on R&D leverages an average of £1.36 of private investment across the economy – many other factors encourage private sector investment. These include our competitive tax system and business environment – the government also increased the rate of business R&D tax credits, providing £2.45bn of relief to 21,000 business in 2014-15 – and our ongoing commitment to improving the nations skills, including in STEM subjects.Information on international spending is published regularly by the OECD and the European Commission is available online. The government’s increased spending signals that the UK remains committed to being at the forefront of global science, research and innovation.

Public Finance

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what equality impact assessment his Department has carried out on the provisions of the forthcoming Finance Bill; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the relevant documents when that Bill receives its First Reading.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what equality impact assessment his Department has undertaken on the reduction of capital gains tax (a) basic rate to 10 per cent and (b) main rate to 20 per cent excluding on residential property and carried interest.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what distributional analysis his Department has carried out on the forthcoming Finance Bill; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the relevant documents when that Bill receives First Reading.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what distributional analysis his Department has carried out on the decrease of capital gains tax (a) basic rate to 10 per cent and (b) main rate to 20 per cent excluding residential property and carried interest.

Mel Stride: HM Treasury publishes distributional analysis of the cumulative impact of the Government’s tax, welfare, and public service spending decisions at each fiscal event, the latest of which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/597473/impact_on_households_SB2017_web.pdf The Government publishes Tax Information and Impact notes (TIINs) for all tax policy changes. TIINs provide an explanation of the policy objective together with details of the tax impact on the Exchequer, the economy, individuals, businesses, civil society organisations, as well as any equality or other specific area of impact. All TIINs, including those for the Budget 2016 changes to Capital Gains Tax, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-information-and-impact-notes-tiins

Courts: Modernisation

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of plans to modernise the courts system.

Elizabeth Truss: The government is investing approximately £1 billion in modernising our courts and tribunals, and improving the digital infrastructure for our criminal courts.

Hotels and Restaurants: VAT

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to reduce VAT on hotels and restaurants in Northern Ireland.

Mel Stride: EU law does not allow for the application of different VAT rates in different regions of the UK. VAT rates must therefore apply across the whole of the UK. The government has considered the economic costs and benefits of a reduced rate of VAT for tourism related activities and has concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence that this would provide value for money. The government will look again at the impact of both VAT and APD on tourism in Northern Ireland and will commission a detailed consultative report to gather further evidence to recommend how best to build upon the growing success of that sector.

Taxation

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to introduce measures to tackle tax avoidance and evasion by people through nom-dom status and offshore trusts.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the loss of revenue to the Exchequer as a result of (a) tax avoidance and (b) tax evasion by people and companies through offshore trusts in each of the last 10 years.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to introduce measures to tackle tax avoidance and evasion by people and companies through offshore trusts.

Mel Stride: Since 2010, the Government have secured almost £160 billion in additional tax revenue as a result of actions to tackle tax evasion, tax avoidance and non-compliance. This includes more than £2.7 billon from offshore tax evaders, with action both at home and abroad. The UK already has effective legislation to tackle avoidance involving offshore trusts. We announced our intention to legislate further, making it harder for anybody to avoid paying tax on funds held in offshore trusts and to introduce tougher sanctions for those who fail to declare past UK tax liabilities on offshore interests before October 2018. The Government is introducing legislation which will raise over £1.5bn from non-domiciled individuals over a five-year period. The UK has been at the forefront of international work which has seen over 100 countries commit to automatically exchange financial account information. Furthermore, we have set up a register for trusts with tax consequences, we have introduced new civil and criminal sanctions for offshore tax evaders and those who help them, and since 2010, we have invested over £1.8 billion in HMRC to tackle evasion, avoidance and non-compliance.

Assets: Departmental Coordination

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will establish a cross-departmental working group to implement consistent reporting standards across all asset classes and product structures.

Stephen Barclay: The Government and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are committed to ensuring that savers and investors are treated fairly when they make investment decisions and are able to get the best outcomes from their investments.The Government welcomes the FCA’s final report on their competition market study on the asset management sector.We will be studying the final findings and remedies closely to see what the Government can do to support the regulator’s work and deliver the right outcomes for people who rely on their pension savings.

Pensions

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority to bring forward its postponed 2017 review of the effectiveness of Independent Governance Committees in protecting consumer interests in contract-based pension schemes.

Stephen Barclay: This is an operational matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the Hon. Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Government's changes to making tax digital.

Mel Stride: Information on the Making Tax Digital (MTD) rollout was given in my written statement to the House on 13 July which is available here.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statements/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&use-dates=True&answered-from=2017-07-13&answered-to=2017-07-13&dept=14&uin=HCWS47 The Government’s changes to the MTD timetable, which will now see MTD phased in over a longer period, will ensure that businesses have plenty of time to adapt to the reforms. HM Revenue and Customs’ impact assessment, published on 8 March, will be updated at Autumn Budget.

Sugar: Taxation

Angela Rayner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue will be raised from the sugar levy in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.

Andrew Jones: The latest forecast for the revenue raised by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy was published by the Office for Budget Responsibility in March 2017. It is available here: http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/download/march-2017-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-charts-and-tables-fiscal/

Air Passenger Duty: Northern Ireland

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to cut air passenger duty in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Jones: The Chancellor keeps all taxes under constant review, announcing changes at fiscal events. Spring Budget 2017 announced that Air Passenger Duty rates for 2019-20 will be set at Autumn Budget 2017, to provide good notice for the airline industry.The government will commission a report into the effects of APD and VAT on tourism in Northern Ireland. Further details of this will be announced in due course.

London Stock Exchange: Foreign Companies

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made representations to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on the regulatory criteria the FCA uses in determining the requirements on companies controlled by other governments in seeking premium status listing status on the London Stock Exchange.

Stephen Barclay: The criteria used for the UK’s listing requirements are a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The government does not as a matter of course comment on FCA consultations and decisions.The independence of the FCA is vital to its role. Its credibility and authority would be undermined if it were possible for the government to intervene in its decision-making.The FCA published its consultation on a proposal to create a new premium listing category for sovereign controlled companies on 13 July 2017. Interested parties have until 13 October 2017 to respond to the new proposals.

Taxation: Prosecutions

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases HM Revenue and Customs has pursued to prosecution for tax avoidance and evasion since 2010.

Mel Stride: The number of prosecutions for tax avoidance and evasion for each full year since 2010 are as below:YearProsecutions (Convictions + Acquittals)ConvictionsAcquittals2010-11390336542011-12449413362012-13576540362013-14761716452014-15709642672015-16880808722016-1788680779  HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not act as a prosecuting authority. All prosecutions must be authorized by the relevant independent prosecuting authority, which for England and Wales would be the Crown Prosecution Service; for Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; and for Northern Ireland, the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland.

Corporation Tax

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what equality impact assessment his Department has carried out on the Government's plan to cut corporation tax to 17 per cent by 2020.

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what distributional analysis his Department has carried out on the Government's plan to cut corporation tax to 17 per cent by 2020.

Mel Stride: The government has not conducted a full distributional analysis of cutting corporation tax to 17%. This is because there is insufficient data about the income distribution of corporate shareholders and uncertainty about the incidence of corporation tax. However, it is widely accepted, including by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, that a significant proportion of the burden of corporation tax is borne by workers and consumers, not just shareholders. As with all tax measures, the Government has published a tax information and impact note (TIIN) for this measure which provides our assessment that there are no equalities impacts.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Buildings

Peter Dowd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been raised from selling government buildings in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015, (g) 2016 and (h) 2017.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has raised the following from the sale of Government land and buildings in the following financial years. 2010-11 £257,256,884 2011-12 £617,322,479 2012-13 £388,855,250 2013-14 £311,519,975 2014-15 £224,541,513 2015-16 £973,430,475 In the autumn the Government will be publishing details of Government land and buildings sold in 2016/17 including the money raised. Selling surplus land and property is an important part of delivering an efficient and fit-for-purpose Government estate. It delivers value for the taxpayer and supports local growth, including unlocking land for new homes.

Cabinet Office: Legatum Institute

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish details of all (a) meetings and (b) telephone calls that have taken place between the Cabinet Secretary and representatives of the Legatum Institue in the last 18 months.

Damian Green: All meetings of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external stakeholders are published as part of the Cabinet Office quarterly transparency releases.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: ICT

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps he is taking to improve the reliability and speed of the internet and the email system used by hon. Members and their staff; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Brake: The Digital Service is delivering a major investment programme for Parliament’s network. The programme will make improvements to Parliament’s ICT network, including internet access and email system. The delivery will address issues around speed, resilience and most importantly security when accessing internet based services. A tranche of improvements will be completed in September 2017, in particular:Speed of access – Network design simplification, increase in throughput of security devices and increase of internet circuit bandwidth;Resilience – dynamic routing with fast failover times with multiple routes out to the internet.The programme will provide further resilience and security enhancements for the network (Campus LAN) operating within the Parliamentary estate by the end of December 2017. The final tranche in the first half of 2018 will see performance and security enhancements for the WiFi network infrastructure within the estate. The Digital Service will continue to work to improve the security and protections in place around email, which in turn supports the reliability of email by reducing the impact that malicious email can have.The improvements are primarily focused on the reliability and security of Parliament's network. However, the changes will provide Members with a more consistent user experience and speed of access when using the network, including access to the Internet. Responsiveness of Internet sites is also dependent upon factors outside of Parliament's network.

Department of Health

Continuing Care

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people receive NHS continuing healthcare provided by (a) a local government unit and (b) a clinical commissioning group.

Jackie Doyle-Price: When a person is assessed as eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) their assessed health and care needs are funded by their local clinical commissioning group. The total number of people eligible for CHC as at 31 March 2017 was 57,773. Of these 17,305 were assessed as eligible through the Fast Track Pathway Tool, and 40,468 through the standard CHC assessment process.

Cancer: Drugs

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when will companies following a recommendation for use from the Cancer Drugs Fund be able to access Cancer Drugs Fund funding for a drug which they have previously been making available to the NHS free of charge by means of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

Steve Brine: Under the new arrangements for the appraisal and funding of cancer drugs introduced in July 2016, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aims to publish draft recommendations on the use of all cancer drugs before licensing. Where NICE’s draft guidance recommends use of the drug for routine commissioning or for use through the Cancer Drugs Fund, NHS England will make Cancer Drugs Fund funding available for its use in National Health Service patients in line with NICE’s recommendations from the point of licensing. There should therefore be no gap in the availability of cancer drugs recommended by NICE that had previously been made available before licensing under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the cost to the public of a Prescription Prepayment Certificate has remained at the same level while costs of individual prescriptions have risen.

Steve Brine: The Government is committed to making prescriptions affordable to everyone, including to people who may need a large number of prescriptions. Whilst the standard prescription charge has been uplifted year on year to remain broadly in line with inflation and raise valuable revenue for the National Health Service, the Government took the decision to freeze the cost of the three-month and 12-month prescription prepayment certificates to support those with the greatest need.

Self-harm: Children and Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2017 to Question 4953, what information his Department holds on incidents of non-fatal self-harm among children and young people.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital collects data on finished admission episodes for people of all ages in England who have been treated in hospital for non-fatal self-harm incidents. NHS Digital also published the latest Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014 last year:http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748 The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey shows data on the self-reported experiences of mental health in people aged 16 and over in England, and includes information on the prevalence of self-harm.

Health Services: Children and Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that children and young people who frequently miss health service appointments for reasons connected to mental health receive the necessary support and treatment.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people aged 16 and 17 who miss health service appointments for reasons connected to mental health receive the necessary support and treatment.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department expects clinicians and professionals to work together in an integrated way across health and care system to support the needs of children and young people. This includes between professionals working in mental and physical health. This process should be supported by appropriate sharing of information to support the individual’s care. “Future in Mind,” the report of the Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health Task Force, published in 2015, also sets out the importance of services monitoring attendance and suggests that services actively follow up families and young people who miss appointments. It also suggests that it may be necessary to find alternative ways to engage the child, young person or family. Not attending appointments should not lead to a family or young person being discharged from services, but should be considered as an indicator of need and actively followed up.

Autism: Diagnosis

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the assessment tools used in the diagnosis of autism are effective in the identification of co-morbid mental health problems.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England have been diagnosed as autistic.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many autistic people were diagnosed with (a) an anxiety disorder and (b) depression in (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2015-16 and (iii) 2014-15.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with autism in England died in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2014-15.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with autism in England took their own lives in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2014-15.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on the number of people diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum; the number of people on the autistic spectrum who have been diagnosed with having an anxiety disorder or depression; the number of people with autism who took their own lives, and the number of people with autism who have died within the requested timescales is not available centrally. We have made no assessment of the effectiveness of tools used in the diagnosis of autism in identifying co-existing mental health problems. The use of such tools is a matter for the clinicians concerned, taking into account relevant clinical guidance such as that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescription charge prepayment certificates have been purchased in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The number of 3-month and 12-month Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPC) purchased in each of the last five calendar years is provided in the table below: YearNumber of PPCs sold20121,468,23320131,531,01620141,651,97720151,798,03720161,916,220 Source: NHS Business Services Authority

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the process is for reviewing the prescription charge exemption criteria.

Steve Brine: There is no set process or timeframe for reviewing prescription charges exemptions. With a range of charge exemptions already in place, almost 90% of items prescribed are free on the National Health Service in England. Furthermore, the cost of pre-payment certificates has been frozen, ensuring people can get access to affordable prescriptions.

Asthma: Children and Young People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many emergency admissions there were of children and young people under 24-years old with asthma in each of the last six years.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many emergency admissions there were of children and young people under 24-years old in each of the last six years.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many emergency admissions there were of children and young people under 24-years old with acute bronchitis in each of the last six years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is in the table below, which shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with an emergency admission method, for: - Asthma;- Acute bronchitis; and- All emergency admissions. The data is for the whole of England and those aged less than 24 years. The data is for each financial year between 2010-11 and 2015-16.Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Asthma29,80726,30230,25127,32530,09228,605Acute bronchitis618626756830612529All1,121,4151,086,5731,109,7671,106,4481,125,6041,157,629Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital

Disability Aids

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether local authorities are required as providers of adult social care to ensure that any hoists which they supply to residents are replaced in a timely manner should they become damaged.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether local authorities are required as providers of adult social care to ensure that any hoists that they supply to residents are replaced in a timely manner should they become damaged.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, against which the Care Quality Commission regulates, sets out that equipment used to deliver care and treatment must be maintained and used properly. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Section 3 puts a duty on owners and providers to maintain safe equipment.

Doctors: Training

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for increasing medical training places by 1,500; and what assessment he has made of the need for new medical schools as a result of that increase.

Mr Philip Dunne: 500 additional places have already been allocated to existing medical schools and will be made available for students commencing courses from 1 August 2018. We have consulted on how best to allocate the remaining 1,000 places by August 2019. The Government response to the consultation was published on 9 August 2017 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/expanding-undergraduate-medical-education

Running

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on how many British running clubs have organised Couch to 5K programme since the inception of that programme.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what methods his Department uses to evaluate the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money to the public purse of the NHS Choices Couch to 5K programme.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on how many running clubs have organised Couch to 5K programmes since the inception of that programme.

Steve Brine: In 2016, Public Health England (PHE) launched a mobile app in partnership with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Get Inspired, based on NHS Choices’ Couch to 5K web site. The method of evaluating the effect and value for money of the Couch to 5K app in England involves tracking the number of downloads and conducting qualitative research. The app has received more than 500,000 downloads since launch1. The feedback from users is positive with many referencing the voice-over from popular coaches being especially motivating. The app does not record mobile sensor data and there is no historical app data available to compare pre and post usage. The app has been especially designed for people who have done little or no running. We hold no information on the activities of running clubs in relation to the Couch to 5K programme.1 Source: Google Analytics

Blood: Contamination

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the people and organisations that those people represent who attended the meeting of 20 July 2017 to discuss setting up an inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The following organisations were invited to the meeting on 20 July 2017: - The Haemophilia Society;- Haemophilia Wales;- Haemophilia Scotland;- The Irish Haemophilia Society;- The Hepatitis C Trust;- The Tainted Blood Campaign;- The Contaminated Blood Campaign; and- The Birchgrove Group.

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the results of his Department's research into the health effects of incineration.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) has a published position statement, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/municipal-waste-incinerator-emissions-to-air-impact-on-health The statement states that while it is not possible to rule out adverse health effects from modern, well-regulated municipal waste incinerators with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close by is likely to be very small, if detectable. PHE will review its advice in light of new substantial research on the health effects of incinerators published in peer reviewed journals. To date, PHE is not aware of any evidence that requires a change in their position statement. PHE is funding a study to further extend the evidence base as to whether emissions from modern municipal waste incinerators affect human health. Papers from this project are expected to be submitted to peer reviewed journals in summer 2017, and it is likely to be a few months after submission for the papers to be published.

Respiratory System: Drugs

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on respiratory medicines in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The cost of respiratory medicines to the National Health Service, by primary and secondary care, in England from years 2012 to 2016 is shown in the following table.  Primary Care Net Ingredient Cost (£)Secondary Care Cost (£)Total Cost (£)20121,009,505,84039,842,0491,049,347,88920131,020,038,04739,938,9131,059,976,96020141,032,783,04438,983,4201,071,766,46420151,044,951,21138,600,9431,083,552,15420161,034,877,08238,547,8011,073,424,883Source: Prescription Cost Analysis; 2016 QuintilesIMS: Hospital Pharmacy Audit Index These figures do not include costs for treating respiratory infections or cancers, as the medicines required (antibiotics and chemotherapy) are used for other therapy areas and are not specific to respiratory disease. These costs are at list prices, and discounts achieved by hospitals and community pharmacy have not been included.

Autism: Depressive Illnesses

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of which mental health interventions are effective for treating autistic people with anxiety or depression.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Deciding what is the most effective and appropriate therapeutic treatment for an individual patient is a matter for individual clinicians or clinical teams, drawing on their professional education and training, and the relevant clinical guidance such as that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Clinical Quality Commission's (CQC's) report, The state of care in mental health services: 2014 to 2017: Findings from CQC's programme of comprehensive inspections of specialist mental health services of 20 July 2017, how many of the patients in the 3,500 beds in locked mental health rehabilitation wards have been there for less than (a) a year, (b) two years, (c) three years, (d) four years, (e) between five and 10 years and (f) over 10 years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

Autism: Mental Health Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Green Paper on Children and Young People's Mental Health will include specific measures to address anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions among children with autism.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Departments of Health and Education are currently considering content options for the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper. We aim to publish the Green Paper by the end of the year.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of services in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme accepts self-referrals.

Jackie Doyle-Price: All Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programmes accept self-referrals and the proportion of services for self-referrals is not limited.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS England spent on (a) low and (b) medium-secure inpatient mental health care in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Prior to April 2013 low and medium secure inpatient mental health care was commissioned regionally by primary care trusts. We do not have the information requested for years 2010 to April 2013. Since April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for commissioning all secure inpatient mental health care services nationally, but we do not hold the information in the format requested for low and medium secure services.

Mental Health Services: Patients' Rights

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information is issued to (a) adults and (b) children on their rights when they are admitted to inpatient mental health care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Chapter 4 of the Mental Health Act Code of Practice sets out guidance in relation to information for patients, nearest relatives, carers and others. Under the Mental Health Act, providers need to give patients information about their rights, verbally and in writing, as soon as possible after the start of their detention or community treatment order. The Code of Practice also states that informal patients (i.e those not subject to the Mental Health Act) should have their legal position and rights explained to them. Chapter 6 of the Code of Practice sets out guidance in relation to independent mental health advocates (IMHA) as an additional safeguard for patients who are subject to the Mental Health Act. IMHAs support patients in obtaining and understanding information not exhaustive to: their rights under the Mental Health Act, the rights which other people have in relation to them under the Act, medical treatment and reasons for that treatment. Chapter 19 of the Code of Practice sets out additional guidance in relation to children and young people under the age of 18. This makes clear that guidance in relation to provision of information and IMHAs applies to children and young people as well as adults. It also states that hospital managers should ensure that staff providing children and young people with information about their rights have sufficient knowledge and experience to be able to provide information to children and young people and determine whether the information has been understood. Written information must always be made available. Such information should be age appropriate and include an explanation about when they have the right to see an IMHA under the Act and an explanation of how one can be made available.

Self-harm: Accident and Emergency Departments

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people attended accident and emergency due to intentional self-harm by (a) gender and (b) age group in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not available in the format requested.

Watford Hospital

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of visits to Watford hospital accident and emergency department resulted in admission to hospital in each year from 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The proportion of patients who attended Watford General Hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department and were admitted is not held centrally. Data are reported at a trust level rather than by hospital. The number and proportion of attendances at accident and emergency departments in West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust that resulted in a patient being admitted to hospital is given in the table below. A&E Attendances and Admissions via A&E for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust YearAttendances at accident and emergency departmentsAdmissions to hospital via accident and emergencyProportion of attendances that went on to be admitted to hospital2010119,34617,47514.6%2011122,22219,16715.7%2012131,01123,84418.2%2013129,23826,99020.9%2014135,41629,75722.0%2015136,27730,78822.6%2016141,40133,07823.4%2017 to May56,79813,12423.1%Sources: 2010 data is from the Quarterly Monitoring of Accident and Emergency collection.1 November 2010 to 30 June 2015 data is from the A&E Attendance and Emergency Admissions Weekly Sitrep collection.From 1 July 2015 data comes from the A&E Attendance and Emergency Admissions Monthly Sitrep collection.

Health Services: Hemel Hempstead

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding the Government plans to provide for NHS services in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each of the next five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Hemel Hempstead is served by the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Allocations for core CCG services (programme allocation) have been scheduled for up to 2020/21 and are set out below.YearAllocation (£ million)2017-18753.62018-19775.42019-20798.7 (indicative)2020-21836.2 (indicative)NHS England has not yet published the allocations for 2021-22.

Doctors: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the latest recruitment statistics are for medical training positions starting from August 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The latest recruitment data for medical training positions starting from August 2017 were published by Health Education England on 4 July and are available at:https://hee.nhs.uk/our-work/attracting-recruiting/medical-recruitment/specialty-recruitment-round-1-acceptance-fill-rate For specialties that have more than one round of recruitment, round 2 data will be published in due course once the recruitment round has been completed.

Mental Health Services: Counter-terrorism

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on the mental health needs of people on the Prevent programme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Officials in the Department of Health and the Home Office have regular discussions about implementing the Prevent programme in the health sector including how this will impact on people with mental health needs.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of services in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme also offer (a) financial and (b) employment advice.

Jackie Doyle-Price: In the 2015 Improving Access to Psychological Treatment (IAPT) Workforce Census Report, 50% of responding IAPT services reported either delivering an employment service themselves, giving a whole time equivalent for specialist employment advisor, providing the service by contracting it out to another organisation or providing a percentage of psychological wellbeing practitioner’s time spent on employment advice. The full report can be found online at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mentalhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2016/09/adult-iapt-workforce-census-report-15.pdfIAPT services do not provide financial advice however individuals can be signposted to the appropriate service by a clinician.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when Health Education England plans to publish its five-year mental health workforce strategy.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Mental Health Workforce Plan was published on Monday 31 July.

Mental Health Services: Private Sector

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings his Department has had with private providers of mental health care; and with whom and when such meetings took place.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many times and (b) when the prescription charge exemption criteria have been reviewed in the last 30 years.

Steve Brine: It is not possible to confirm how many times the full list of exemptions have been subject to review in the last 30 years. To identify and confirm details of each review would be of disproportionate cost as the information may not be fully held centrally.